The Dawn of Shawn

I was good about getting up on time even though I could’ve used a lot more sleep. Not sure why, however. Once again, I slept for almost 9 hours. I just can’t seem to shake that deep-seated tiredness that sometimes plagues us all. I started my exercise routine in the quiet darkness of the livingroom. After sit-ups and just before push-ups I leaped into my mesh office chair and poked around the morning headlines. Come 550am I went to the familyroom where I completed my push-ups. Next, I prepped a cup of coffee before settling back down in front of my PC. While enjoying my solitude, someone began knocking loudly on our front door. It frightened me at first. It was a bold knock. I crept to the door from the side, the only light coming from the computer monitor. At some point I recognized the obnoxious door knocker as step-brother Shawn asking to talk with me. Knowing his game, and still somewhat startled, I shewed him away. But he only begged more. Finally, I let out a loud resounding NO, beat it! That was enough to wake Mindy and pique her curiosity. Soon she was downstairs along side me. Shawn left temporarily, but returned a minute or two later once again knocking and pleading for help. He repeated his antics three times before once again disappearing into the predawn. Each time his knock got louder and bolder. Mindy eventually headed back to bed. I was rattled enough to worry about leaving the house for my run. I was worried for kids and Mindy’s safety, and also for my own, thinking he might be outside casing the place. I told myself if he showed up again I would call the police. Sure enough, he returned ten minutes later knocking louder than ever and begging for help. Having enough, I called the police asking for a cruiser, telling them that we felt threatened. About 20 minutes passed but still no cops. It was now approaching 715am. Finally, two older officers in a large plumbing-type truck showed up. Mindy & I welcomed them in. We described the scenario and why we felt uneasy about his presence. Shawn’s past precedes him. They stated that they spotted no one as they drove down the street and guessed him long gone. They left but said to call back if he happened to return. Mindy felt comfortable. I dressed and left for my run after a quick stretch. My morning routine, now far from peaceful, couldn’t have been further from ideal. Mindy asked that I take my cell phone. I did, and also locked the doors behind me. The new fallen snow made for tough sledding. Most of the roads were snow covered, and I had to use tire tracks as my path. The trouble is, they’re just a smidge too narrow to run with any level of comfort. It altered my gait significantly. I had a feeling things might be weird when I got home. And sure enough, as I approached the back of our two SUVs from the bottom of the driveway, I heard Shawn knocking on our front door pleading loudly for us to let him in. Too, I’d just stumbled over a fresh 16oz beer can on the sidewalk, undoubtedly his. I quietly diverted my path to the deck door with out him noticing me. I was a little freaked. I wrapped on the door hoping to get Mindy’s attention. But I also knew she’d most likely think it was Shawn. Crap! What now? I felt so vulnerable out there. I knocked louder, then moved to the window. Geesh, surely Mindy had to see and hear Shawn out front. Finally, she came and let me in. I was in panic mode arming myself with a large butcher knife. Mindy advised that she had just hung up with the cops and that they were on their way. Shawn kept knocking and pleading. Finally, the cops pulled up. Shawn went right to them with his arms held high in the air all the while talking up a storm. We opened the front door as they got closer. Shawn was doing plenty of gesturing and pointing towards our house as if we were somehow at fault. What an ass! One of the officers came to the door. We greeted and invited him in. He quickly took charge asking what was up, almost treating it like a typical family dispute. Now, in my eyes, this wasn’t anything of the sort. Instead, there was a dangerous, unwelcomed perpetrator trying to get in my house. We explained the situation to the officer along with a brief look into Shawn’s troubled past. He kept saying that he thought Shawn looked familiar. Then, when we shared that he’s done this at my dad’s, the bell went off. The officer instantly remembered a prior encounter with Shawn about a year ago. He asked us to clarify our position. We do not want Shawn at our home in any capacity and are willing to press charges if necessary. We both got the feeling that that is what the officer wanted to hear. Otherwise, how could they do their job effectively. We cited the fact that we have two young children in the home and would go to great lengths to protect them from such bullshit. The officer understood and walked out to deal with Shawn. Meanwhile, the other officer stood at the foot of the driveway with Shawn. I failed to mention that they arrived in a pick-up truck. Mindy & I both found that peculiar. They stood outside with Shawn for about 20 minutes. I guessed that they were calling a cruiser to cart him away. My hunch proved correct. A cruiser came and took him away. We phoned my dad to give him a heads up, and to make sure he was OK. I don’t trust Shawn an inch. Some might argue that we should've at least talked with him and possibly thrown a few bucks his way. But why? Besides, I don’t want there to be any incentive for him to return to our place. Again, the kids safety is my number one concern – period. And sadly, I view Shawn as a serious threat to our peace and safety. I ate the breakfast that Mindy prepared and had waiting in the microwave then headed up stairs for a shower. I was downstairs dressed for work by 819am. Admittedly I had lost all track of time prior. I was surprised that I was still in the ballpark of my typical departure time. However, I hadn't even begun to think about warming the Trooper and scraping away the night's snow. That took some time. While out there, I cleared most of the snow from Mindy's Honda, too. Oh, and if I didn't mention it already, school was canceled for the kids and Mindy. I arrived at work around 850am. The drive in was slow but steady. I didn't even try to hurry. We had numerous call-offs due to the weather, but honestly, outside of our subdivision, the roads were fairly nice. Through the morning, we experienced several snow squalls with drifting continuing into the early evening. I had a fairly busy day. I checked on Mindy & the kids a couple of times through the day. They were having a fun snow day. I left for home around 540pm. I was disappointed to find my check engine light on along my drive home. I wouldn't have been too concerned had it not been for that dreaded high pitched sound I was warned about that is the precursor of a blown manifold gasket. My engine sputtered a time or two also. Great! So now, my check engine and ABS lights are on. The Trooper performed well on the drive home, but I did detect a slight bit of hesitation in the acceleration. I asked Mindy to clear the driveway so I could pull in the garage and check for a vacuum hose leak after work. She shoveled the drive, moved the Honda, and made sure a path was clear into the garage. I checked all the visible vacuum hoses as soon as I arrived home. Nothing. I also loosened and retightened the gas cap. I sensed the need to take it in the shop again. This will be the third time in five years for the same damn thing. We'll see what Wednesday holds. Mindy warmed leftover chicken and noodles for dinner. I was looking forward to them, too. They're often better on day two. I wasn't disappointed. I ate two big helpings. I felt a little roughed up from the day. I mean, hey, we had the Shawn thing this morning, and now the Trooper was acting up. It certainly wasn't a banner day. But then again, we measure our strength not during a time of peace, but rather during times of trouble. I kept thinking about that through the evening. Shawn's got problems that I can't control, and the Trooper given me ten decent years. And besides, it may be a simple repair, or, worst case, I may need to get myself a new car now rather than later. Not the worst thing in the world. After clean-up I updated my blog. It didn't take long. Afterwards, I joined the family in the familyroom for the Olympics. They were playing a game of Chicken & the Egg. We had a small burning. It was nice. We watched men's skating - the short program and then women's snow board cross racing. I was pulling for American, Lindsey Jacobellis. Unfortunately, she got eliminated after going out of bounds to avoid a collision/fall. It's quite sad that an athlete can train for one event everyday for almost four years and then have it all go seemingly down the drain in a single instant. I can appreciate the hard work, dedication, effort and attitude it takes to put one's self in a position to challenge for the Gold. Many seem to overlook all of that. Like most nights, I fell asleep on the sofa while watching the competition. I was still dreadfully tired deep inside. Mindy woke me around 9pm to tuck in the kids. She woke me again around 10pm to head to bed.